The dynamics of habitation in the Danube Basin and hinterland in the protohistoric period

The number of documented sites in the Danube Basin, settlements in particular, is very large. Data about their infrastructure and stratigraphy allow us to create an approximate model of habitation. The habitation of the high loess plateau along the Danube is observed in relation to the hinterland as an example of regional communications in connecting two major traffic routes – the Danube and the Sava Basins. Based on the example of investigated fortified sites (Sotin, Ilok) and associated cemeteries, as well as on the basis of our knowledge of smaller settlements and hamlets documented in field surveys, the relationships between central settlements and periphery are examined, as well as their interrelationships in the use of space. The research has been directed on field surveys, excavations and study of finds and archives in museums, in order to put forward models of settlement through individual protohistoric periods, particularly during the last millennium BC.